If you are interested to learn about my experiences in neuroscience research, please take a look at my webinar with the Society for Neuroscience.

Day of Action — United For Cures Day of Action — United For Cures

Today is the Day of Action.

SfN urges Congress to increase FY26 funding for medical research.

✅ vist.ly/4nmrp

#SupportCures #FundMedicalResearch #CuresCantWait #neurosky #neuroskyence #academicchatter

@jayapal.house.gov

Dear Congresswoman
The multi year funding (MYF) in the HHS/NIH bill is normed to 2025 - please propose an amendment to norm to 2024, like the Senate version. As it stands, ~1/4-1/3 of NIH $ will be sequestered by MYF, a big cut to WA STEM economy!

Dear Congresswoman @foushee.house.gov, the multi year funding (MYF) in the HHS/NIH bill is normed to 2025 - please propose an amendment to norm to 2024, like the Senate version. As it stands, ~1/4-1/3 of NIH $ will be sequestered by MYF, a big cut to the Triangle's STEM economy!

Deep Decisions: The role of subcortex in perceptual choice.

I was honored to give a special lecture at SfN in November. You can view it here if you are interested.

LEC24 Special Lecture Deep Decisions Uncovering the Subcortical Role in Perceptual Choice — Michel YouTube video by Michele A Basso

I was honored to give a special lecture at SfN in November. Check out out if you’re interested in decision making in health and disease.

youtu.be/zQU4gjto4ac

We may be. Our intent is to help humans and other animals not harm them. The ethical dilemma is that even with the best intentions, harm occurs. In each act we decide that the benefit outweighs the harm. I hope society realizes that NAMs come with harm too and require similar ethical choices.

I can’t speak for the bad apples (of which there are likely some in all endeavors), but in my field there can’t possibly be any. We are few and pubs take a long time - the work is hard and the animals’ well being is paramount before any science happens. We should talk offline sometime.

The decision to do this work is about caring for people and other animals. There are many more financially rewarding options than academics and science.

Jason, please do not think for a minute that I have never thought about this. I have said many times - the day it stops bothering me is the day I quit.

America’s Risky Retreat in Biomedical Leadership | National Review The CDC’s plan to end primate research will weaken our biomedical capabilities just as our global competitors are shoring up theirs.

www.nationalreview.com/2025/12/amer...

This is assumed for physical science like chemistry and psychics but biology is a different matter.

To me that is the crux. How to decide? By definition science does not know where it will lead or of what usefulness its findings will ultimately be. We as a society must decide whether the pursuit of knowledge yes at the expense of animal lives, is worth it.

If society decides such research is not needed then so be it. But the decision making requires careful thought which right now is not happening.

Like Nicole I regard our work as important for humanity as well as other animals (not vanity). IMO the conversation needs to be had in society with all the facts - what may be gained and what may be lost / never discovered in the absence of animal research with our current state of knowledge…

The moral complexity of animals in research | Michele Basso The moral complexity of animals in research I recently published a letter/opinion in Nature in response to recent articles on new approach methodologies to replace animals in research. More should be...

www.linkedin.com/posts/dr-mic...

The moral complexity of animals in research

I recently published a letter/opinion in Nature in response to recent articles on new approach methodologies to replace animals in research. More should be coming soon! Stay tuned!

Fear, monkeys, and institutional courage

When news broke of an explosion inside Harvard’s neurobiology building early Saturday morning, every scientist who works with monkeys felt it—an involuntary jolt, a spike of cortisol, the silent thought: what if it had been us? Neither animals nor people…

From Monkey Brains to Human Meaning

In this new Nature Communications study, Hartle, Kishida, Sands, Montague, and colleagues recorded neurochemical activity from the caudate nucleus of patients with Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor undergoing deep brain stimulation surgery. As the…

I’m doing some research on IACUC practices. Does your institution make public the meeting minutes? If so can you DM me with the link to them. mbasso@uw.edu. Thanks!

Media registration now open for Neuroscience 2025 — the world’s premier neuroscience event | EurekAlert! www.eurekalert.org/news-release...

I’ve officially moved to BlueSky - yes i’m a little slow! You’ll soon get a following notice from me as I ‘bridged’ my X account - I hope that wasn’t a mistake.

Congrats Amy!!

www.instagram.com/share/BBFsKY...

🧠 Don't miss this Thursday! Dr. Wei-Chung Allen Lee (@darbly.bsky.social) will be giving a talk @ UW NBIO on "Circuit Motifs of Sensorimotor Integration". #neuroscience #circuits